HARARE - The South African Democratic Alliance party (DA) has described the horrific details regarding the mass rapes of Zimbabwean opposition supporters as documented by New York-based advocacy group, Aids-Free World, as another example of the critical need for an alternative to the failing GPA.The report which is based on testimonies from 70 survivors states that most (93 per cent) of the women either held positions as officers within the MDC, or described themselves as active members of the MDC.
According to the report, entitled Electing to Rape, youth militia and liberation war veterans amongst others, working for president Robert Mugabes Zanu (PF), carried out a campaign of rape and torture of opposition supporters ahead of the June 2008 elections, presumably as an intimidation measure. A total of 380 rapes are documented in the report. For the DA, these latest reports only serve to reinforce our call for South Africa and President Zuma in particular to take stronger action with regard to the abhorrent conditions in Zimbabwe. As Zimbabwes neighbours we can no longer justify our politically correct silent diplomatic approach to Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) supporters, especially in the light of such harsh realities as revealed in this report, said DAs parliamentary leader, Anthol Trollip.
He said that the fact that Mugabe strategically orchestrated violence and abuse against his own people also showed that the current, rather shaky GPA was not a feasible alternative to creating a constitutional democracy in Zimbabwe. “Mugabe and Zanu (PF) continues to disregard and violate the GPA, the fact that three main political parties have still not reported any concrete agreements in the current negotiations in spite of Presidents Zumas task team facilitating the process, also suggests that real change is not happening any time soon,” Trollip added.